ELEPHANT HILL SYRAH 2020

Elephant Hill take Syrah very seriously and this their ‘Estate’ version must be one the best value for money wines going.

Winery notes (2020 Vintage)
"This Syrah blend was grown in our three vineyards, perfectly combining soft, ripe berry fruit & delicate spiced flavours, smooth texture with underlying structure, medium body & freshness. A refined & silky Hawke's Bay Syrah from an exceptional vintage. 

Hand-picked Syrah was co-fermented with a small portion of Viognier to enhance aromatics and add further complexity. An extended time on les, building generous palate texture, with French oak aging for 22 months."

5 Stars & 94/100 Sam Kim, Wine Orbit, April 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"Pristine and fragrant, the bouquet shows dark plum, rich floral, tar and toasted nut aromas, leading to a succulent palate offering bright fruit flavours with fleshy texture backed by layers of fine tannins. Beautifully composed and expressed, it's elegant yet flavoursome with a prolonged, structured finish. At its best: now to 2032."

Rated Excellent & 93+/100 Cameron Douglas MS, April 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"There’s no mistaking the core bouquet of red berry fruits, some fresh black currant and peppercorn qualities in the bouquet. Scents are of a new, youthful and still settling in wine. This is confirmed on the palate with core flavours red berry fruits and black currant set in a taut frame of youth accentuated by acidity and tannins. The use of oak is judicious and well placed. Well made with development time still ahead offering best drinking from 2026 through 2034+."

93/100 Stephen Wong, The Real Review, July 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"Dark crimson. A subtle, more muted nose with an inward quality. Suggestions of cinnamon, pepper, plum, blackberry and coffee with chocolate oak notes weaving in and out of the bouquet. The palate is showing the start of savoury development with late, integrated and smooth tannins. Overall, a seamless and well-measured package which has had time to come together nicely. The trimmed mid-weight flavours suggest the capacity to develop further in the near term. This wine is both elegant and sinewy in equal measure and drinking well now."

5 Stars & 18.5+/20 (94) Candice Chow, Raymond Chan Reviews, May 2024 (2020 Vintage)
"Deep, dark purple, slightly lighter on the rim. The nose is generous, with aromas of plum, black cherry, spice, and hints of meaty nuance. Full-bodied, the aromas of plum and black cherry are entwined with clove, nutmeg, roasted meat, and rich herbs. The wine is mouth-filling and rich with forward fruit, enriched by spice and meaty details. Fine-grained tannins and lively acidity lightly frame the fruit and lend a succulent, moreish finish. Match with lamb burger and beef ribs over the next 3-5 years. Fruit from all 3 vineyard sites in Te Awanga, Bridge Pa and Gimblett Gravels, co-fermented with a small portion of Viognier to 13% alc. Aged on lees in older barrel and tank for a total of 30 months, with 20% in new oak for 22 months and 8 months in tank."